Anti-Cruelty honors beloved volunteer and crocheter Betty following her passing

For more than 15 years, a 91-year-old has given comfort to cats by crocheting toys for them at Anti-Cruelty.

She recently passed, but her legacy is inspiring other volunteers to carry on her mission.

Whenever a kitten wrestles an alligator or tangles with an octopus, the staff thinks of beloved volunteer simply known as Betty.

"Our beloved Betty and I started making a difference at Anti-Cruelty at the same time 15 years ago," said Amber Pazdzioch, who runs the volunteer program at the shelter.

That included one volunteer who worked from home.

"Yes, Betty was a cat lover for sure," Pazdzioch said.

For over 15 years, Betty crocheted from her couch in Milwaukee, making thousands of toys for cats. Betty's daughter, also a volunteer at the shelter, would drop off the creations.

"Yarn is not cheap, and all of the supplies to go into making all this, and she could have done anything with her time, and she chose to make these beautiful toys, and we're just so grateful. She was such a special lady," Pazdzioch said.

Betty was known to bring joy to cats and people.

"She definitely did. She will be missed," Pazdzioch said.

She said that her daughter shared the news that her mother's health had started declining earlier this month. Betty crocheted until she no longer could.

"This was something that was so near and dear to her that she was on a mission to finish this kind of last round of toys," Pazdzioch said.

Now down to the last batch of toys, the shelter is encouraging the community to be like Betty, calling out all crafters and crocheters to consider making a simple toy for shelter cats.

"No matter your passion or your talent, we'd love to have you as part of Anti-Cruelty's family," Pazdzioch said.

A way to honor Betty, known as one of the best of volunteers.

The Anti-Cruelty Society accepts daily donations during adoption hours from 12:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.